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At the beginning of the season, it looked as though HC Davos would finally be able to snap their playoffs drought and clinch a berth in the postseason. But at the midway point here, HC Davos has plummeted through the rankings; the only team worse is the expansion club, the Moscow Menace, whose abysmal 14 points and 5 wins are well below any other club. Sitting in 8th place with 31 points, Davos' hopes of competing this year seem to have been to no avail, in spite of much improved showing from their young forward core. Simply put, Davos needs the addition of a star defenseman to push them to the next level. While scoring is great, defense is what wins championships and separates the decent teams from the powerhouse clubs. Leaving a goaltender hung out to dry is never a good situation for a club, and the data correlates with the spotty blueline being the issue in Switzerland. Davos is second worst in goals against in the league, with again, the only worse team being the Moscow Menace. Davos needs to either draft, sign or trade for a defenseman to keep up with the top playoff teams, and they will hopefully look to do so in the offseason.

1. How do you plan to make yourself stand out from the rest of the VHL players?
2. What are you looking for in a VHL team?
3. What does your training regiment consist of?
4. How easy or difficult has it been to learn how to navigate the VHL?
5. What would you say is the biggest weakness in your game?
6. How much physicality do you have in your game?
7. What VHL teams look interesting to you early on?
8. Have you made any friends yet?
9. How well does your player stick handling and move the puck?
10. How important is special teams time to you?

Pat Svoboda on the Rise
Pat Svoboda is pumped after netting his first power play goal; the Swede, who is having a much-improved sophomore campaign, had been receiving ample time on the man advantage, but with no results to show for it. The bulky right winger has 17 goals and 21 assists in 37 games; with the season halfway over, he has a shot to pass 70 points, perhaps even approach 80 if he heats up again. At slightly over a point per game, he is perhaps one of the most improved players since the previous season. He has racked up 151 shots; always known as a volume shooter, pacing for 300 shots total on the season could signify excellent shot generation and advanced metrics.
He is contributing outside of offense as well, using his enormous, bulky frame to his advantage. It has been repeatedly noted that his hits are up after hardly so much as touching another player last year. When asked about it, Pat Svoboda quoted the song Runnin’ Wild by Airbourne, saying, “I’m running on rage, I’m out of control. My anger for you is like hot burning coal.” In spite of admittedly having a temper, he has exemplified discipline, only drawing two minor penalties thus far. These penalty minutes are much less than the numbers his teammates have accrued, with Rylan Peace taking 17 penalty minutes and Elias Dahlberg taking 28 penalty minutes. Svoboda has also sacrificed his body to keep the puck out of his own net, blocking 24 shots, surpassing his total last year of 21 blocked shots. He is not afraid to get in shooting lanes and pressure the opposition into getting rid of the puck early. He may be on a middle of the pack team that doesn’t lend itself to a high plus-minus, but his +4 rating is third best on the Davos roster.
His pace has slowed since the start of the season, and his shooting percentage has dipped to 11.26%, but he is one of only four players on Davos with a double digit shooting percentage. His goal and point totals merit praise as well, as they are both third best on his team, over multiple more-established players. His stats stand up comparatively well to his teammates and similarly aged players around the league, and the Swedish right winger is proud of it.
“I think my season is going pretty well right now, and I think HC Davos as a whole has taken a big step forward. Every aspect of my game has intensified and bloomed. You get a few good matches under your belt and you build some confidence. You just get into a rhythm and things start coming to you naturally, it snowballs. I’m starting to feel as though I belong in Davos, and that takes a lot of pressure off my shoulders. It’s a relief to demonstrate my potential and to be wreaking havoc on the ice game after game. Opposing defenders and goaltenders are starting to worry about me when I step off the bench, and that’s exactly how I want them to feel,” said Pat Svoboda.

1. What do you think has been the best part of your career so far?
2. Who is your favorite teammate?
3. How do you see Moscow faring in the near future as a team?
4. What is it like to live in Russia?
5. How do you feel about your contributions on the scoresheet?
6. What do you think of your draft class as a whole?
7. What are your plans for the offseason?
8. If you could change one thing about your VHL career, what would it be?
9. What is your training regiment like?
10. What do you think is the least important stat for a VHL player?

Pat Svoboda has tied his previous season rookie point total of 20 with eight goals and 12 assists in 19 games, although his blazing early pace has cooled off a lot; he's been shooting less the last few games, and much to the dismay of analysts and special teams coaches, he has no power play goals, which probably is preventing him from keeping up the surprising start. Svoboda has still definitely been much better and is likely to set a new personal record for points, and he's been more helpful to his team defensively when on the ice as well. He is has a plus 6 rating, has dished out 12 hits, and registered 14 shot blocks; as many shot blocks as fellow top prospect Elias Dahlberg has. Svoboda did finally take his first penalty of season, but the two penalty minutes are all he has been called for this year despite added physical play.
"This year has been much better, so I'll just continue to work on and play my game. I like the style I play, and I think better passing this year has really complimented my shooting. It is a gamechanger, defensemen aren't expecting me to pass or stick handle past them. Hopefully, I'll continue racking up the points, and hopefully our team can continue to surprise and sneak into the playoffs," said Pat Svoboda.

1. How did it feel to be drafted?
2. How has New York's management treated you so far?
3. If you had to play for any other team than New York, who would it be, and why?
4. What specifically is it about the number 72 that makes you want that many points?
5. What did you do over the offseason?
6. Do you have any enemy players or teams so far?
7. What is it about the VHL that drew you to the league?
8. How well do you think New York will do for the rest of this season?
9. What do you think is the biggest surprise from the first few VHL games?
10. What do you think is the biggest strength for your player?